"This doesn't happen here, this is what you see on TV!" said Danielle Altman, manager of M & M Beverage, whose surveillance camera caught the collision.

A crash of metal, wheels and flying papers was the scene that played out in front of Altman's eyes.

"I heard the train and looked up to see the back end of the truck flying down the tracks," she said.

As shown by the tape, a tractor-trailer carrying recycled papers speeds through flashing signals, smashes into the train, and skids along Route 5 in Lyndonville. Police, firefighters and town crews responded.

"When I arrived on scene, I found a 53-foot box trailer split in half," said Police Chief Jack Harris.

The back of the truck was ripped off by the engine, causing the truck to spill its load of papers across the intersection. No one was injured but the trailer came dangerously close to M & M's diesel pumps.

"Luckily, the pitch of their driveway kept (the truck) from hitting the pumps," said Harris.

"He didn't even slow down and look, didn't yield, just barreled right through," said Altman.

The driver, who is from Canada, received a ticket from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Chief Harris hopes this accident will serve as a warning.

"It's up to the people to pay attention to the lights and not try to beat the train, because it doesn't work," he said.